The Politics of Snow

Diane Burko is a landscape painter and photographer. Since 2006, she has created a series of ongoing works – both paintings and photography – of ice, snow, and glaciers. Having accompanied climate scientists on several trips to the polar regions, she notes “Scientists tell me that my images help to communicate what statistics and charts prove. They see paintings and photography as a way to reach the general public and educate them.” (from Diane Burko: Visualizing Arctic Transitions, by Erica Dingman).

We at Earth Art Bainbridge believe that art is vital in communicating challenging topics like climate change. Burko’s work is not just meant to communicate her own alarm about the future, but also to “seduce the audience with the inherent beauty I am depicting as well as remind them of its possible demise.” (from Telling the Climate Change Story, by Chantal Bilodeau).